One Year

It’s been one year.

I started this journey on January 1, 2015 with the commitment to putting something on this blog each day of the year. Somehow, I managed to do it. I didn’t always do it well, and in stressfully times I did little more than post a quick and easy haiku, but something got on this blog every day in 2015. I do have to give a shout out to my friend, Jamison, who brought up the idea of this journey as 2014 came to a close. It was a lot of fun tracking his progress alongside mine.

Several times over the course of the journey I’ve described this as a spiritual discipline, and it has been. What I’ve not highlighted is how the posts are really the product of the discipline, and not the discipline itself. Undertaking this journey meant I had to alter the way I think and reflect. It forced me to make certain I took the time to sit back and ponder so I would be able to write something to post on Painfully Hopeful. It was an amazing experience.

By far my most rewarding undertaking this year was following the story of Jeremy in Welcome to the Valleys. It touched me deeply to find people invested in the lives of these characters who, up to this year, have only lived in my own head. Making Welcome to the Valleys the focal point for this blog during NaNoWriMo gave me some of the best interactions with readers in all of 2015, and I was trilled to make the material available to you all. I’ll probably finish the first story arc some time in the first part of the new year. There’s probably two chapters left before the first book ends, and I know where Jeremy is heading with his friends. After that I might take a break from The Valleys and work on some other fiction.

I was also honored by the photographers who took the time to view the photographs I posted here. Calling me a “hobbyist” is probably generous 1, but it was wonderful to see photographers from all over the world see an image and take the time to click “like.” Thank you so much.

As 2016 dawns I’m fairly certain I’ll keep up the habit of daily blogging. After twelve months it’s become ingrained into my daily routine. What the focus will be next year I have no idea, but I’m sure it will work out.

Happy New Year, everyone. Thanks for spending part of your journey in 2015 with me.